Indiana hunters took advantage of new equipment regulations and extra hunting dates to kill a record 136,248 deer during the 2012 season, according to data the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) gathered from designated check stations and from a recently implemented online and phone reporting system.

The total take represented a 6 percent increase over the 2011 season’s harvest and topped the previous record of 134,004 deer set in 2010.

“We started down the path to strategically reduce the deer herd in order to balance the ecological, recreational and economic needs of all Indiana citizens,” said Mitch Marcus, DNR Fish & Wildlife chief. “To meet that strategy, we initiated several regulation changes to make it easier to take antlerless deer. It appears the regulations may be working.”

Key regulation changes implemented in 2012 included making crossbows legal equipment for all licensed hunters during archery season; adding a special late antlerless season in designated counties from Dec. 26-Jan. 6; extending the urban zone season to run continuously from Sept. 15 to the end of January; and allowing youth hunters in the two-day youth season to take whatever the bonus antlerless quota was in the county where they hunted.

Archery season also increased by seven days with elimination of the traditional one-week break between early and late segments. Crossbow hunters took 8,452 deer, or 6 percent of the overall total. The tally was an increase from 1,091 deer, or 1 percent, reported in 2011 when crossbows could be used in early archery season only by people with a disabilities permit or by any licensed hunter in late archery season.

Hunters using archery equipment tagged more deer in 2012 (27,580) than in 2011 (26,715) or in 2010 (27,186). Youth hunters bagged 3,587 deer, up 55 percent from 2011, and the new special late antlerless season accounted for 10,091 deer.

It was also the first year offering a license bundle, which allowed the buyer to hunt in all segments of deer season – except in urban zones – for a total of one antlered and two antlerless deer.

More than 56,600 license bundles were purchased in 2012, second only to purchases of the resident firearm license.

“In previous five or six years, resident license holders accounted for 42 percent of the harvest,” said Chad Stewart, DNR deer management biologist. “This year, resident license holders accounted for 47 percent of the total harvest. That’s only a couple percentage points, but to move it even that much is pretty significant.”

The total harvest was made up of 45,936 antlered and 90,312 antlerless deer. The proportion of reported antlered deer in the harvest (34 percent) is the lowest in Indiana’s history, while the antlerless total was the highest.

“Despite the record harvest, trends within the harvest data showed that deer numbers were down this year,” Marcus said. “The number of antlered deer in the harvest was at its lowest point since 2000, an indicator of a reduced deer herd.”

Stewart said the antlered deer harvest tracks the total population about as well as anything because there are fewer variables to consider.

“Year-to-year hunter efforts don’t change much, so people aren’t all of a sudden taking three bucks or eight bucks; they’re locked into one buck,” he said, noting the legal limit in Indiana. “If there are fewer bucks to kill with the same amount of hunter effort, not as many bucks get killed, which tells us the overall population is down.”

Additionally, an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) affected deer in nearly 60 counties. EHD is a viral disease transmitted by biting flies, which is often fatal to deer, though some will survive the illness.

“Whether this (population) decline is due to this year’s outbreak of EHD, recent efforts to strategically reduce the deer herd or a combination of both factors remains to be seen, but probably varies from county to county,” Marcus said.

Switzerland County had the highest reported harvest at 3,506 deer, leading the state for the first time since 2004 and ending a seven-year run by Steuben as the top county. Steuben dropped to fifth with a reported harvest of 3,076 deer, the least for the county since 2003.

Of the total harvest, 82,151 deer were recorded at check stations, 53,389 online and 708 by phone. To read the complete report, go to www.wildlife.IN.gov and click on the “Deer Harvest Summary” link at the bottom of the page.

Spring Mill State Park is accepting applications for 2013 for craftspeople in the Pioneer Village and a variety of other seasonal jobs on the property. The park is looking for people with experience in blacksmithing, woodworking, broom-making, weaving or any other heritage crafts. Housing may be available for successful applicants not from the area.

Other areas for which seasonal openings are available include maintenance, housekeeping, gate attendants, store clerks, concession stand operators, cave guides, natural history interpreters and lifeguards (with certification). Most positions begin in late April, but some are available as early as April 8. A few others start in mid-May.

The lifeguard season ends on Labor Day. All other positions work until mid-October. Some positions have reduced work hours from Labor Day until mid-October. Most positions are scheduled for five days per week, with a mixture of day and evening shifts. Weekend work is required for all positions.

For most positions, the pay is $7.38 per hour. Lifeguards earn $8.75 per hour due to certification requirements, and interpreters and craftspeople are paid $9.89 per hour. Health insurance and other benefits are not available. Interested applicants must apply online at www.IN.gov/jobs

Applicants must first create an applicant profile with education and work history, then search the online job bank for available positions and apply for each position of interest. For more information, contact the park office at 812-849-3534. Spring Mill State Park is located at 3333 State Road 60 E, Mitchell, IN 47446.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Jack Spaulding may contact him by email at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.